Igniting Sparks
by Mystique6
Summary: Nola Harbor is the definition of damaged. Escaping a horrific past she is just trying to survive. Timid and mistrusting of others, she finds it hard to open up to her new guild mates...with the exception of one. Laxus Dreyar finds himself drawn to the aloof and fearful new member and the two form an odd bond. But will it last? Or will Laxus cause her more harm than good?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is a really dark fanfiction. If abuse and PTSD are a trigger to you, then this fanfiction is not for you. That being said for those who love angst and dark fanfiction I hope you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Fairy Tail. All rights belong to the writer and creator of the anime show and manga.

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><p>"I don't know, Bob," Makarov sighed. "My guild's a rowdy bunch. If she's really as uncomfortable around people as you say I'm not sure Fairy Tail is a good fit for her."<p>

"I disagree," Bob said. "It's because of your rowdy bunch that Fairy Tail is a good fit for her." Makarov gave his friend and fellow guild master a skeptical look. Bob laughed as he wiped down the bar of Blue Pegasus's guild hall. "I only mean that the people of your guild are known for being exceptionally kind."

"I know Bob, but if she's really as damaged as you say…" Makarov trailed off.

Bob suddenly looked solemn. "She is damaged," he admitted. "But after all the pain she suffered from her family, are you really surprised?"

"Yes, that situation is a shame," Makarov replied. "It's also what concerns me the most. You say she can't control her magic?"

"No," Bob returned. "I don't even think she knew she was a wizard until the incident." They both remained silent for a while. "You can't hold her accountable for what happened, Makarov."

"I don't," Makarov said instantly. "Anyone who went through what she did would've snapped eventually. But I'm concerned she might be a danger to others, Bob."

"She's more of a danger to herself than to others," Bob replied sighing. "Look, I'm asking you this as your friend. She's never going to move past this if she stays here. I'm asking you to give her a chance to heal."

Makarov nodded his head in agreement. "Alright," he said. "I'll take her in. I can't turn my back on someone in need."

"Thank you," Bob replied relieved. "You'll probably want to meet her." He stepped out from behind the bar. "She'll be in her room. Please follow me." Makarov followed Bob through the girls' dormitory until they reached the very end of the hallway. Bob knocked on the door. "Nola? Someone's here who would like to meet you. May we come in?"

There was a small pause before a small, but clear voice sounded from behind the door. "Yes," the girl replied. "You can come in." Bob turned the knob and stepped back to let Makarov in. The Fairy Tail master walked into the room and immediately warmed to the girl. Although Bob had told him she was the same age as his grandson, Laxus, she was small for seventeen. Her petite size was made painfully obvious by her slender frame hunching in on itself, as if she were trying to hide herself from the world.

She had very pretty large grey eyes that were just a little too big for her face. Her chocolate brown hair was cut short, the top pulled back. She was currently sitting on her bed staring warily at him. His eyes were drawn to her wrist where she was continuously snapping a black rubber band against her skin. The skin of her wrist was red raw and bleeding in some places. For the first time he truly believed that taking the girl into Fairy Tail was the best thing to do.

"Nola, this is Master Makarov from Fairy Tail," Bob introduced them. "He would like to speak with you about joining his guild."

The young girls eyes widened in surprise as she glanced back and forth between the two guild masters. "I can't do magic! I-I can't control it!" she stammered in fear. "I won't be able to go on any missions!" Makarov noticed she began to snap the rubber band faster, and with more force.

"You won't have to," Bob said reassuring her. "He just wants to talk to you, that's all. Ultimately the choice is yours. Will you listen to him?"

Nola shot a fearful glance towards the short guild master. Her entire body was trembling. She glanced back at Master Bob and finally nodded her head. "Yes, I'll listen," she whispered softly.

"I'll be right outside," Bob said comfortingly before leaving the room.

The other guild master remained silent for a while and watched the young girl for a few moments. His heart broke to see just what state the poor girl had been left in. "Hello Nola," Makarov finally said.

The girl briefly made eye contact before staring back down at the floor. "Hi," she mumbled snapping the rubber band again.

"I know you're worried that you're inability to control your magic means you don't belong in a guild, but I assure you that you'll be most welcome."

Grey eyes met his then. "Why?" she asked. "Why would anyone want me in their guild? After what happened…"

"That was not your fault," he interrupted her softly. The girl's eyes welled up in tears as she gave another yank to the rubber band. "When we are afraid our magic becomes uncontrollable. I know what happened, Nola, and you had every reason to be afraid. But you don't have to be afraid anymore."

Tears streaked down her cheeks. "I c-can't con-control it!" she cried. "My…my family!" She couldn't continue. She covered her face as sobs racked her body.

Makarov placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to use your magic," he told her.

"But Fairy Tail is one of the strongest wizard guilds," Nola protested.

"Yes, but its strength doesn't come from the power of its wizards. It comes from the bonds of its family," Makarov said. "Fairy Tail is a place to come home to. No matter the strength of the wizard."

"W-will I really be welcomed there?" Nola asked.

"Yes," Makarov said. "The members of Fairy Tail will gladly welcome you. Although I should warn you, they are a wild group."

Nola suddenly looked somber again. "I'm not good with people," she said as the snap of the rubber band filled the room. "I-I feel l-like everyone's looking at me, and I-I'm afraid they'll h-hurt me." The rubber band was snapping in quick succession now. Makarov noticed the habit was worse when the young girl got more upset.

"You won't have to interact with anyone if you don't want to," he assured her. "The second floor of Fairy Tail's guild hall is reserved for S-class wizards only, but they're almost always out on missions. You can stay there during the day. Nola, I think you should come to Fairy Tail. It would be a fresh start for you."

The girl's eyes shone bright from tears, but a smile began to form on her face. "Thank you," the girl whispered tears, happy this time, trickled down her cheeks. "I would like that very much."

"It's settled then," Makarov replied walking towards the door. "We'll leave tomorrow morning. I'll meet you at the entrance of the guild hall."

"Thank you," Nola said again as the man left, closing the door behind him. She could hear the two guild masters talking to each other in the hall, but she didn't pay them any attention. She quickly packed her few belongings into a bag, smiling the whole time. After he family's death, and the trial that had followed she'd had no reason to go on with her life. It had been completely destroyed. Although she was still terrified, she was relieved that she could finally leave this part of her life behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy and please review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Fairy Tail. All rights belong to the creator and writer of the anime show and manga.

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><p>The next morning Nola was all packed and ready to go. She had been ready to go since an hour after her talk with the master of Fairy Tail, she didn't have many personal items. Her bag was packed with her meager wardrobe and personal items. She had just picked up the bag to go and meet Master Makarov when a soft knock sounded at the door. She quickly opened it to reveal Bob, the master of Blue Pegasus. "Master Bob," Nola greeted quietly.<p>

"Good morning Nola," Bob said quietly. "I see you're all ready to go."

"Yes," she replied quietly opening her mouth to say more. She wanted to thank this man. She knew he had convinced Makarov to take her in, and he had done so much more for her in the seventeen years of her life. Throughout the years the man had always shown her kindness whenever they met. She realized now he must have known she was a wizard even though she had been unaware of the fact herself. And after what happened with her family he had immediately taken her in under his protection. He had shielded her from all adversaries and had sat through the long trial that had followed the tragic incident. She owed so much to this man.

"We'll miss you around here," Master Bob said. "I hope you'll write to me. I want to know how you're doing." Nola opened her mouth to reply, to say thank you, but the words wouldn't come and instead she found herself wrapping her arms around the man in a hug. "Now what's all this for?"

"I-I just w-wanted to…to thank you for everything," Nola stammered.

Bob smiled kindly at her. "You know you don't have to thank me for anything," he told her. "You will always be welcome here, but I know you need to move past all that has happened." Nola nodded and ducked her head as her eyes welled up with tears. "Well, you better get going now. The carriage has just pulled up for you and Master Makarov." The two made their way downstairs into the main guild hall. The members of Blue Pegasus glanced up and all wished her good luck. Nola managed a smile and waved shyly. They had all been so kind to her and she would miss them.

"Good morning, Nola," Master Makarov greeted her as she stepped outside. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Nola whispered in reply.

"Then we best be on our way," the Fairy Tail master said. "Is that all the luggage you have?" Nola nodded, unable to speak from her growing nerves. "Alright well then they'll be enough room to keep it in the back with us. Careful stepping up now."

Nola had just been about to enter the carriage when a loud cry sounded through the air, "Wait!" Nola turned her head to see who was calling and immediately recognized her only friend, Ezekiel Dunn. "Nola, wait!"

"Would you like to speak with this young man?" Makarov asked her. "We can wait a few minutes."

"I don't want to inconvenience you," Nola replied.

"Nonsense!" Makarov replied stepping into the carriage himself. "Say your goodbyes. There's plenty of time." Nola nodded and walked away from the carriage to where her friend stood watching at the other side of the road.

"Thought you were leaving without saying goodbye, did you?" Ezekiel teased a smile dancing across his tan face.

"I didn't know I was leaving until last night," Nola explained. "I was going to write to you when I reached Fairy Tail. How did you know?"

"Master Bob telegraphed me this morning," the young boy explained. "He said I should get here early if I wanted a chance to say goodbye."

"You're hardly early," Nola teased.

"Yeah, well you know I like to be fashionably late," Ezekiel replied, his forest green eyes sparkling. "You know I'm really going to miss you, Nola."

"I'll miss you too," Nola murmured softly. She would miss him the most. He had been her only friend. The one person she ran to when she needed protection from the world. She didn't know how she would survive without him. "Goodbye, Ezekiel."

"Goodbye Nola," her friend replied. "I hope you get the happiness you deserve." Nola gave him a small smile before turning back to the carriage and joining her new guild master in the back.

"Are you ready to go?" Makarov asked her.

"I'm ready," Nola answered. Master Makarov tapped on the back of his seat for the driver to start moving. As the carriage transported them to Fairy Tail in Magnolia, Nola watched her hometown grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared from sight. Nola, sat back in her seat sighing in slight relief that she would never have to go back there again. She noticed then that Master Makarov was watching her. "How long is it until we reach your guild hall?"

Makarov blinked in surprise. This was the first time the girl had ever addressed him first, rather than just responding to his questions. "Another hour now," he replied. "I sent a telegraph to one of my members, Erza, telling her you were coming. She helps me run the place. I'm sure she's told everyone that you'll be there today."

"Everyone!" Nola exclaimed dismayed.

"Now calm down, you have nothing to worry about," Makarov assured her. "They've been told that you are uncomfortable meeting new people. No one is going to swarm you. It'll be a quiet welcome and then Erza will show you to your room, and serve you some lunch. Once you're unpacked you can rest comfortably in your room or on the second floor. Erza will tell you how to reach it once she's gotten you settled."

"Thank you," Nola said. "This, well, just thank you."

"You're welcome," Master Makarov replied. Nola smiled shyly before turning back towards the window and watching the beautiful scenery passing by. The rolling green hills of the countryside were a sight to see, and every farm they passed was picturesque. Soon enough though, the carriage rolled into a city. So many buildings clumped together, and she grew nervous at the sight of so many people clustered together on the streets.

"Well, you're in Magnolia," Master Makarov said breaking the silence.

"It's beautiful," Nola said. "And so big."

"Yes, it's one of the biggest cities of Fiore," the Makarov told her. "It'll be fun for you to explore." Nola's eyes widened and she glanced nervously back out at the crowds of people. "When you're ready, of course. No one is going to rush you to do anything." Nola nodded, but her fear of being completely useless to the guild was returning. How could a guild like Fairy Tail allow someone as pathetic as herself into their midst. She knew she'd never even be able to work up the courage to explore her new home.

Fifteen minutes later the carriage came to a stop in front of a large building with the Fairy Tail crest on it. "This is the guild hall?" Nola questioned.

"Yes, it is," Master Makarov replied. "This is your new home." The small old man easily descended from the carriage and turned back to look at her. She was glancing nervously at the building before her, subconsciously snapping the rubber band against her wrist. "Nola, I promise no one in this guild is going to hurt you or make you uncomfortable. You don't have to be afraid." Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her bag and climbed out of the carriage before following the Fairy Tail master into the guild hall. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the wizards there and she began to tremble in fear as every eye turned on her.

"Alright, the new girl's here!" a young pink haired boy exclaimed loudly raising a fist encased in flames into the air. "It's about time. I was running out of people to fight with! Since you're new I'll let you make the first move." Nola's trembling grew even worse, as her continuous snapping of the rubber band increased in frequency. Beside her the master looked furious, but it was another person who brought the young boy's antics to an end.

"Natsu!" a deep feminine voice called out, and Nola saw a red headed girl march straight through the packed guild house towards the boy. "Master said we were to greet our new member quietly. She doesn't want to fight you." Nola watched the red head curiously. The girl was younger than her, a few years older than the kid she was currently scolding, but carried herself in a manner far beyond her years. Nola was surprised to see that the young girl wore armor, but figured the girl probably used it to make herself look more intimidating. She was successful in that department. When the red head had finally finished yelling at the pink haired boy, Natsu, she turned to face Nola. "Hello Nola, I'm Erza. Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

"Hi," Nola mumbled looking down, trying to ignore everyone staring at her.

"I'm sure you're eager to get yourself settled," Erza said. "If you'll just follow me I'll show you to your room." Nola nodded and followed the red head out of the main guild hall. "The hallway on the right side of the guild hall holds the girls' dormitories. Boys aren't allowed in this section, and the same rules apply for us. We're not allowed to enter their dormitories." Nola nodded her head again and listened as Erza continued to list the rules of the guild until they finally stopped outside of one of the doors. "This is your bedroom. I'll let you unpack now and bring you your lunch in an hour. If you ever need me during the night for an emergency or anything I'm the last door on the left."

"Thank you," Nola murmured as the red head began to walk away. Erza turned to reply, but Nola entered the room and shut the door before she had the chance. The shy girl slunk to the floor in exhaustion and relief to be away from all those people. At least when she had resided at Blue Pegasus she had recognized the wizards from when she saw them in town. The room out there was full of strangers. She only recognized a few of them from the rare times she had been able to get her hands on a copy of Sorcerers Weekly. Taking a deep, she snapped the black rubber band against her wrist three times before taking a good look around the room. For a dorm room it was pretty spacious. The full bed did not take up the whole floor even with the large dresser in the room. There was a single nightstand beside the bed with a lamp and an alarm clock resting on it. There was nothing personal about the room. The walls and bedspread were a plain white, but she felt more than pleased with it. She rose to her feet and began to unpack.

Meanwhile, a staple figure of the Fairy Tail guild traipsed through the guild house doors. "Hey, look, it's Laxus!" Wakaba exclaimed.

"Hey Laxus," Macao greeted. "How did your first S-Class mission go?"

"It was me on the mission, how do you think it went?" Laxus replied arrogantly. He frowned as he glanced around the guild hall. He had expected more of a reaction from his return of his first S-Class job, but almost everyone seemed engrossed in their own conversations. "What's everyone buzzing about?"

"Oh yeah you wouldn't have heard," Wakaba said. "Fairy Tail's got itself a new member."

"A new member?" Laxus questioned.

"Yeah, a girl about your age," Macao replied. "She's pretty cute too."

"What's her name?" Laxus asked curious wondering if he'd ever heard of her before.

"Ah…what did Erza say?" Macao muttered. "Nola Harper?"

"Harbor," Wakaba corrected his friend. "Her name's Nola Harbor."

"What's her magic?" Laxus asked, continuing his interrogation.

Wakaba scrunched up his face thinking. "You know, I don't know," he replied. "Macao, do you remember if Erza said anything about her magic."

Macao shook his head. "No, she never mentioned it," he replied. "When you meet her you'll have to ask her yourself."

"Yeah whatever," Laxus replied disinterestedly. He wasn't that interested in any new member. "I'll be on the second floor." He sauntered his way past the two older men before reaching the stairs and making his way up to the second floor, which was exclusive for S-Class members of Fairy Tail. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that he was not alone. A dark haired girl about his age was sitting at one of the chairs fiddling with a black rubber band around her wrist. He couldn't help but notice that she was rather pretty. "You must be the new girl everyone's talking about. I'm Laxus Dreyar." The girl jumped and sharp grey eyes turned to stare at him.

Master Makarov was wandering to the bar of his guild hall. During the past hour he had been catching up on the activities of his members that he had missed over the past few days as he had settled things with Bob over the Harbor girl. Sighing, he sat down at the bar and thanked Erza as she gave him his usual drink. "How is our new member settling in?" he asked the red head.

"She seemed content when I brought her her lunch," Erza replied. "But she looked relieved when I left her on the second floor."

"You mustn't take it personally," Makarov said. "After what she's experienced in her life she's very mistrusting of others. It's going to take some time, but she'll come around when she's ready." The red head nodded her head. She certainly understood what it was like to have a painful past.

"Hey Master," Macao greeted as he walked up to the bar to buy another round for him and his buddy. "Your grandson is back from his first S-Class mission. You must be pretty proud."

"Laxus is back!" Makarov exclaimed loudly.

"Yeah, he just went upstairs a few minutes ago," Macao replied. "You better go congratulate him. If someone doesn't fawn all over him soon we'll probably have to bake him a cake." The young adult chuckled as he walked away with his drinks.

"Huh, this isn't good," Makarov sighed putting down his drink.

"Master?" Erza asked concerned.

"That girl is a bundle of nerves," Makarov sliding off the bar stool and heading for the stairs to the second floor. "The last thing she needs is to be assaulted by my obnoxious grandson."

Back on the second floor Laxus waited for a response from the new girl who was staring frightfully up at him. He must have surprised her. Finally she managed to stutter out her name. "N-Nola Har-Harbor," she tripped over the words.

Laxus glanced wearily at the new girl, perplexed by the odd behavior. Figuring she was just a little shy he continued to question her. "What magic do you use?" he asked. "You must be pretty powerful if Gramps is admitting you straight to S-Class."

"I-I'm not S-Class!" the girl exclaimed. "I-I c-can't con-control my m-magic." Laxus's frown deepened as he noticed the Nola begin to snap the rubber band she was wearing against her wrist. He could see that the skin around it was inflamed.

"Only S-Class members are allowed on the second floor," he said stiffly.

"I-I'm s-sorry. I-I…" Nola stuttered furiously snapping the rubber band.

"Hey, it's alright," Laxus exclaimed, taken back by the behavior of the girl. He reached out and wrapped a hand around her wrist so she couldn't hurt herself anymore. "Probably no one told you the rules yet." His brow furrowed as he realized the girl's wrist was shaking in his grasp. Her grey eyes were staring intently at his hand covering the rubber band, and her free hand was trembling violently. "Hey are you alri…"

"Laxus!" a gruff voice called out and he immediately let go of the girl's wrist to turn and see his grandfather approach him furiously. The second he let go of her wrist the young girl swiftly fled to a dark corner of the room. Laxus could hear the snapping of the rubber band against her skin. "I need to talk to you."

"But…" Laxus began to argue, but the old man just stormed past him and through the door that led from the second floor to the boys' dormitory. Sighing, he followed his grandfather, and Fairy Tail's guild master, down the flight of stairs. When the old man turned around to face him he immediately began speaking. "Look, all I did was ask her what her magic was. I didn't know she was going to freak out like that."

"You're not in trouble, Laxus," Makarov replied. "You had couldn't possibly have known she would react that way. No, this is my fault. I didn't think you would be back from your mission so soon, or I would have warned you beforehand."

Laxus stared down at the old man. "What's wrong with her?" he asked bluntly, although in all honestly he truly was concerned. He had never seen anyone so scared in his life, and he was surprised by the urge he felt to protect the young girl.

Master Makarov sighed, running a hand down his face. "She's had a very tough life," he replied slowly, "and has recently suffered a great tragedy."

"What?" Laxus urged.

Makarov glanced up at his grandson, considering. How much of the truth did he dare tell him? "The loss of her family," he finally said. "She came home to find her family members murdered and lost control of her magic. She uses…used sun magic. The force of the uncontrolled magic burned her family's corpses to a crisp and caused major damage to the buildings surrounding her. She injured quite a few people with the blast from her magic."

"Well that wasn't her fault," Laxus replied. "That could have happened to anyone in that situation."

"Yes, but regardless she is now terrified of using her magic, and wary of other people," Makarov explained. "She's afraid she'll hurt someone again."

Laxus nodded his head understanding the girl's panicking now, but frowned as he thought back to the rubber band on her wrist. "How long ago did all this happen?" he asked cautiously.

"About four months ago," his grandfather replied. "Why?"

"The rubber band on her wrist, that she keeps snapping herself with," he replied slowly. "I noticed the scarring on the wrist was older. Older than four months. Do you know why she wears that thing?"

Makarov shook his head. "No, and even if I did that wouldn't be for me to tell you," he said. "Look, I won't ban you from the second floor, but I do ask that you leave her be for the rest of today.

Laxus nodded his head again. "That's fine," he replied. "I'm tired from the journey back here anyway."

"Yes, well, rest well," Makarov returned turning back towards the door and disappearing up the stairs. Laxus scowled after him. Was it so much to ask for some sort of acknowledgement for his actions. Grumbling, he turned and headed down the hall to his own room before opening the door and tossing his bag aside. He laid down on the bed, his breathing evening out as calmness filled him. Still, as he closed his eyes he couldn't help but to remember the look of fear in those wide grey eyes, and was surprised to realize that he felt the need to protect the traumatized girl. Making a resolution that he would make up for their horrible introduction that day tomorrow, Laxus finally drifted into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Here's another chapter. I just recently found out that there actually is a place in the Fairy Tail Manga and Anime world where the girls of the guild dorm stay if they don't have their own apartment. I didn't know that when I began writing the fanfiction and currently have both females and males without an apartment in dormitories in the guild. I have decided to keep it the way I have it until after the Battle of Phantom and then Nola and the girls will be moved to Fairy Hills. Anyway I hope you enjoy the story and please review and let me know how you like it.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing from Fairy Tail. All rights belong to the creator and writer of the manga and anime show.

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><p>Nola woke up the next morning and blinked blearily at the room around her before remembering the events of the day before. She closed her eyes and tried to push away the remaining anxiety pulsating through her veins from the day before. She would have been able to handle it, but her unfortunate meeting of Makarov's grandson had put her right over the edge. It had taken a while for her to calm down after he'd left her alone. Master Makarov had apologized profusely. She had of course accepted his apology. It had been quite clear to her that his grandson had not been warned about her. And she had seen the look of concern in the boy's face as he'd gripped onto her wrist. He'd probably thought he'd been helping. Still, even after the master had left her on her own she hadn't left the corner she'd fled to for two hours, and then she just slunk back to her room.<p>

Even now in the new day she felt the tremors of nervousness taking hold. She was sorely tempted to just remain in bed, but felt that would be rude to the master who'd been kind enough to take her in. Not only that, but she knew Master Bob from Blue Pegasus and her friend Ezekiel would want her to control her fears rather than have her fears control her life. So reluctantly she slipped out of the bed and gathered together her bath supplies. She slipped out of her room and halfway down the hall to where Erza had shown her the bathroom. The hot water helped to shed some of her anxiety away.

However, once she had dressed for the day and was presented with the need to enter the main guildhall in order to get food it returned. Taking a deep breath, and snapping the rubber band on wrist lightly a few times, she built herself up into heading to the bar. She felt grateful when no one stopped to greet her, other than a few small waves, and let her get to the bar in peace.

"Good morning, Nola," Erza greeted as she sat down at the bar. "I suppose you want breakfast?"

Nola nodded. "Yes," she whispered remembering she had to order. "Just toast please."

"You have to be hungrier than that," Erza argued. "I'll make you a plate of pancakes. You only have to eat what you want." Nola could only squeak a small sound of protest before Erza disappeared into the kitchen. She pulled at the rubber band as she fought back panic. Alone at the bar she worried that someone might try to speak with her. She just wasn't ready for that yet. However, same as when she'd entered the guildhall, no one bothered to speak with her, and she was able to wait comfortably for Erza to return with her breakfast.

"Here you are," Erza said placing a plate stacked with steaming hot pancakes smothered in syrup in front of her. There were even a few strawberries on the plate. "You can take it to the second floor if you wish."

"Thank you," she murmured quietly taking the plate and rushing upstairs with it, eager to be on her own again. But she came to a halt when she reached the top step and saw Laxus was sitting at a table nearby. The blonde teenager was staring right at her, having glanced up to see who'd been coming. Nola felt her heart race as her anxiety peaked and turned with the intention of going back downstairs to the bar, but froze when she saw the guildhall doors burst open and the exuberant pink haired kid from yesterday, Natsu, if she remembered correctly, and a dark haired boy about the kids age come running end sending fire and ice at each other. She felt her body begin to tremble as she stood torn between the idea of getting mixed up in the hustle of downstairs or risk being harassed by Laxus again.

"You know I'm not gonna bother you again, right?" the boy asked as if he had read her mind. She turned to stare at him. "I didn't know you were so touchy about things yesterday. I didn't mean to scare you like that." She nodded her head slowly, but didn't say anything. He scowled at her then and nodded at the plate in her hand. "Eat that up here. If you go back downstairs those two clowns fighting down there will send it flying." She immediately sat down at the table next to him, but ignored the plate of food, her already meager appetite having fled in the wake of her anxiety. She felt the boy's eyes on her and she began to snap the rubber band against her wrist again.

"Why do you do that?" the boy asked waspishly. Nola jumped in her seat and turned to look at him. She went to go snap the band again but pulled her hand away when she saw the boy glower at her. She stared down at the black band and the enflamed skin around it.

"I-I don't like to talk about it," she replied finally before staring back at her plate of untouched food. The room was quiet for a few more minutes as they both sat in silence.

"I'm sorry about your family," Laxus said suddenly.

"The master told you what happened?" Nola squeaked.

"Yeah. It must have been hard coming home and finding them all…well it must have been hard," Laxus replied. Nola nodded her head but didn't reply. She picked up the knife and fork and finally dug into the now cold breakfast in front of her. The silence was practically glaring as the she ignored him staring at her. She had finished half of the pancakes when she finally felt his gaze turn away from her, but it didn't bring the relief she expected. Instead she found herself sneaking glances at him. She had glanced over for the fourth time when he caught her before she could look away.

"What?" he asked petulantly.

"N-nothing," she replied quickly and then flushed when he continued staring at her. "It's just…you're the master's grandson, right?"

The boy immediately scowled at her, his bluish gray eyes darkening like a thundercloud. "Figures you've already heard about that," he snorted turning away from her.

She blinked in surprise at his reaction before smiling down at her lap. "Ah. I bet you get that a lot," she said in a tone of complete understanding. She glanced back up to see he was looking back at her. "I bet people expect a lot out of you because you're the guild master's grandson."

"You have no idea," Laxus replied sourly.

"What magic do you use?" she asked surprised with herself for continuing the conversation.

"Lightening magic," he answered her shortly.

She raised her eyebrows and stared at him considering. "You didn't give yourself that lightning bolt shaped scar purpose did you?" she exclaimed looking at the scar that dominated his face. She had noticed it yesterday when he'd first spoken to her. It was the scar that had frightened her so much she hadn't been able to get out her name when he'd asked for it. Now though she could look past it to see that the boy was quite handsome.

Laxus raised his hand to the scar that ran down the right side of his face and flinched at the memory of receiving it. He glanced quickly back at the girl hoping she hadn't noticed. "I don't like to talk about it," he answered her gruffly. To his shock the girl laughed. He stared at her in surprise as the sound of the lyrical laughter filled the room.

However, the girl misunderstood and thought she'd upset him. "I'm sorry," she exclaimed choking back her laughter. "It's just we both don't seem to like to t-talk about much." He smiled as the girl continued to laugh. He realized she had a very pretty smile that lit up her face. He blinked in surprise when he realized the girl looked completely at ease.

"You haven't touched your rubber band in a while," he stated and instantly regretted voicing the thought out loud as it immediately dissolved the girl's laughter. Her large grey eyes stared at him and her hand flew to the banded wrist, although she didn't pull at it.

"No, I guess I haven't," she replied quietly. He frowned as Nola turned away from him and back to her pancakes. He hadn't meant to end their conversation. To his shock he found the girl to be pretty entertaining. He found himself standing and moving to sit across from her at her table. He ignored her look of surprise as he stole a strawberry from her plate and popped it into his mouth, enjoying the sweet taste.

"Can I ask you a question?" he inquired. She nodded her head. "Why did you leave Blue Pegasus to come here? I mean you probably knew everyone in that guild. At least just from seeing them in town. You don't seem to like meeting new people." The girl looked away from him then, and he thought she wasn't going to answer.

"I knew them," she whispered. "I'd seen all of them around town for most of my life. They knew me too."

Laxus frowned. "Were they not nice to you or something?" he asked.

"No they were great!" Nola exclaimed. "It's just…it's just…" He frowned as she began snapping the rubber band again. He raised his hand to stop her but remembered what had happened yesterday and stopped himself from wrapping his hand around her wrist. Instead he tried a different tactic.

"Hey!" he said loudly causing her to look over at him.

"I…" she began but he cut her off.

"Take a deep breath," he urged. "Just think of something that makes you feel calm and take a deep breath and let it out." He watched as the girl struggle to take in air, and frowned at the tremors racking her thin body. Slowly though he saw her regain some control and her breathing regulated. "That's good. Just keep taking deep breaths." He reached for her wrist again and this time she let him have it. He pushed the rubber band down and massaged the inflamed skin. When he glanced back up she was staring down at her wrist. "You shouldn't do this to yourself."

"I'm s-sorry," the girl replied meekly.

"When you get worked up you should just try taking some deep breaths," he told her continuing to rub circles over her scarred wrist. "The skin's really damaged here. Do you ever give it a chance to heal?"

"I'm sorry," she said again.

He sighed. "Don't be sorry," he told her sternly. "You should write me a list."

"What?" the girl asked confused.

"Yeah, a list," he said. "Topics I shouldn't bring up in your presence. If only so Makarov doesn't give me shit about giving you panic attacks." He was relieved to see the girl smile again.

"Do you need to write me a list too?" she questioned teasingly.

He smiled back at her. "Nah," he replied letting go of her list. "Just don't mention my dad and we'll be good."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy and please review.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing from Fairy Tail. All rights belong to the writer and creator of the manga and anime show.

* * *

><p>Nola had been at Fairy Tail for a week now and had set up a routine for herself. Every morning after waking up she'd shower and get dressed before slinking out into the guildhall to get breakfast. Most of the members of Fairy Tail ignored her, knowing she didn't like attention on her, but other members, like Makarov, Wakaba, and Lisanna waved her said a bright good morning. Nola would give them a small smile or slight wave in return but she wasn't comfortable enough to say anything back. Once she'd reach the bar she'd order breakfast from Erza, and although she only ever ordered toast Erza always served her a large plate of food.<p>

She never remained on the first floor. She'd take her breakfast to the second floor and eat it there. Laxus was always on the second floor with her. Sometimes they'd chat, but mostly they just sat in silence. Nola would watch the goings on of the guild while Laxus listened to his sound pods. She'd asked him what he'd listened too once, and he'd simply responded rock and roll.

Today though, the guildhall was unusually empty. A few scattered members hung around, but many of Fairy Tail's prominent figures were missing. Natsu and Gray were nowhere to be seen. The Strauss siblings were also vacant. Even Macao and Wakaba were absent. Shrugging she sat down at the bar and waited for Erza who always took care of her in the morning.

"You'll have to get your own breakfast today," Nab Lasaro told her. Nola turned her head to find him in his usual spot by the job request board. He was in the group of Fairy Tail members who mostly ignored her, and she was surprised to hear him speaking to her. She nodded and hopped off the barstool heading for the second floor. "You can go in the kitchen and get your own breakfast if you want. It's not barred off." She squeaked a small thank you and darted behind the bar and into the kitchen. She smiled as she realized she'd finally get the toast she always ordered. After smearing a large amount of jelly, strawberry, apparently Erza was rubbing off on her, she carried her plate up to the second floor.

Usually, Laxus was there before her but today she beat him there. She sat down in her usual seat and bit into her toast. Usually she ate half of her breakfast and saved the rest for Laxus who typically finished her meals, but since she only had the toast today she left an empty plate. She heard footsteps on the stairs then and glanced up to see her usual companion walking towards her and sitting across from her. Typically, he sat at a table behind her, but today he sat right across from her.

"You're late," Nola said.

Laxus glanced at her. "You notice anything different about this place today?"

Nola glanced down at the strangely empty guildhall and nodded her head. "It's awfully quiet," she answered.

"Everyone's getting ready for the Fantasia Parade," Laxus told her. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and he laughed. "Yeah, I figured you wouldn't know about it."

"What's the Fantasia Parade?" she asked curious.

"It's part of The Harvest Festival put on by Magnolia every year," he explained. "The mages of Fairy Tail perform acts with their magic in the parade. That's why no one's here. They're all practicing for later tonight."

"So is that why you were late? You were practicing for the parade?" Nola questioned.

Laxus snorted. "Yeah, like I want to be in that stupid parade with the rest of these losers," he scoffed. "No, I came up here to warn you that if you go out on the town tonight that it's going to be crowded." Nola frowned slightly when he insulted his fellow guild mates. It was something she'd noticed he had a habit of doing. He was always putting himself above the others, and maybe he was. She'd heard stories of how powerful she was from other members while she slunk through the guildhall, but it bothered her a little to hear him knock the others down by calling them lame or weak. It only made her wonder what he really thought of her. Everyone else here could control their magic. She was just completely useless. Still, he was the only one she really felt comfortable with. Something about him made her feel safe in his presence.

Shaking herself back into the moment she shrugged and replied, "I never go out on the town anyway."

Laxus gave her a look. "You've been here a week and you haven't explored your new hometown yet?" he questioned.

"I don't feel comfortable around too many people. I haven't been able to bring myself to leave the guild," she whispered staring down at the table.

Laxus sighed and stood up. "I should have realized you hadn't seen the town," he said. "You're always up here." She didn't look up. She was waiting for him to leave her. She had wondered when he'd lose interest in her and it looked like now he finally would. "Well get up now. We should head out before everyone crowds the streets." Her head snapped up and saw him staring expectantly at her. Her eyes darted to the doors of the guildhall. She wasn't entirely comfortable within the walls of the guild. The thought of leaving just made her more nervous.

"Laxus," she murmured quietly but didn't continue, not wanting to admit how weak she was.

"Hey, I'll be with you," he stated. "No one's going to bother you, I promise." He gripped her arm and yanked her to her feet. "Now let's go." She let him drag her down the stairs and out the door. She was nervous, but she knew Laxus wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Makarov frowned as he watched his grandson more or less drag Nola out of the guild. "This isn't good," he grumbled under his breath.

"Why not?" Reedus asked having heard him. "Isn't it a good thing that she's making a friend? And Laxus isn't acting like a complete jerk to her."

"She's not making a friend. She's finding someone to latch onto," Makarov sighed. "And of all people why did she have to choose Laxus?"

"Master?" Reedus questioned.

"That boy isn't the friend she needs. With all his negativity towards everything he's just going to bring her down, and probably just make her anxiety worse," Makarov replied.

"I don't know about that," Reedus said thoughtfully. "She always looks more relaxed when she's around him. Maybe it'll be good for the both of them to become friends. They can balance each other out."

"Maybe," Makarov conceded. "But I have a really bad feeling about it."

Nola looked around her in wonder. Magnolia was huge. There was activity wherever they went. At first Nola had barely glanced up from the sidewalk, afraid she'd be met with the same suspicious and accusatory looks she'd grown accustomed to in her hometown, but slowly she realized that the people here didn't pay her any attention. The anonymity was nice compared to her hometown where everybody knew about her. As she grew more comfortable she ducked out of Laxus's shadow and walked beside him as he showed her around. He led her through shopping areas and the market. He showed her the concert hall and the town's library. He even agreed to go in when she'd asked. She loved books and when she'd seen how big the library in Magnolia was she'd practically squealed in delight.

Laxus had let her spend an hour there. He'd watched quietly from an armchair as she struggled to decide on book to check out. She carried it now, along with her new library card, as Laxus led her to Kardia Cathedral. She stared up at the huge building, completely awed.

"Wow," she murmured. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, I guess," Laxus replied not sounding the least bit interested, but Nola was beginning to realize that he often didn't show what he was truly thinking. "It's even better on the inside."

"Do you come here a lot?" she asked following him into the church.

Laxus shrugged. "I guess you could say that," he replied.

"Can I ask why?" she questioned. The church was beautiful, but it seemed an odd place for Laxus to hang out in. She noticed his shoulders tense at her question, and realized it must have something to do with his father. She remembered him telling her not to talk about him so she'd never mentioned him again. She realized now she wasn't even sure his father was still alive. She wanted to ask him about but kept quiet. After all she had her own secrets she was unwilling to share. She walked away from Laxus then and explored around the church.

"It really is beautiful," she said walking back towards him after a few minutes.

He nodded but didn't comment on it. "We should grab something to eat before everything's closed down," he stated and led her out of the church. They walked back out onto the street which was now packed with people. Feeling a bit of her anxiety return to her she stepped closer to Laxus. He glanced down at her and frowned slightly. "You know no one's going to hurt you, right?"

"I know," she replied quickly. "I just don't like people looking at me. I'm afraid of what they'll see." Laxus gave her a confused look but didn't answer. He brought them to a diner, but it already had its closed sign up.

"Damn," he muttered. "We took too long at the church. Everything's going to be closed up now."

"I'm sure something must still be open," Nola said.

"Trust me there won't be," Laxus told her. "Everything shuts down for the parade except vendors in the park."

"So let's go buy food off of a vendor," Nola returned.

Laxus glanced down at her. "If we do that we're going to get stuck watching the parade," he said.

"So we'll watch the parade," Nola replied shrugging.

"No way," Laxus argued. "That parade is lame."

"I'm sure it's not," Nola said. "And anyway we have no choice if we want to eat."

"There's gonna be a lot of people there," Laxus pointed out.

Nola froze for a second but pushed her anxiety away. "I'm sure we can find a quiet spot to watch the parade that's away from the crowds," she said. "C'mon, it'll be fun." He sighed but steered them through the crowds and into the park and to the first vendor stand he laid eyes on. After ordering them both a hotdog and lemonade she followed him up a hill.

"This'll be the best spot to watch the parade from," he said handing her a hotdog.

"When will it start?" she asked glancing down at the street below.

"It started fifteen minutes ago. They just haven't made it this far down yet," he replied. They ate in silence. Nola felt content for once, completely at ease. She watched the street and smiled brightly when she saw the first float coming down the block. She knew it was Master Makarov's float instantly. She had heard of his titan powers and he was using them advantageously now. She couldn't have missed him if she wanted. She had to look more closely as the other floats went by but she could see an array of magic on display. She glanced over at Laxus to see how he was enjoying the parade and found him staring at her wrist. She immediately turned her gaze to the black rubber band on her wrist. She ran her fingers over it, picking at the band, although she didn't snap it.

She'd been snapping it less and less this week. Laxus usually made her anxiety disappear while in his presence, and she hadn't felt the need. For once the skin of her wrist was given a chance to heal. It wasn't nearly so swollen and the skin had faded to a dull pink. She glanced back up at Laxus who quickly turned his head away. She knew he wondered about the rubber band. It wasn't something she liked to talk about, but she trusted him to understand her.

"It was my friend Ezekiel's idea," she told him.

"What?" Laxus asked her, spinning around in surprise.

"The rubber band, it was my friend's idea," she replied.

"Your friend told you to hurt yourself?" he asked her sounding a little angry.

"No! It wasn't like that," she assured him. "Look, I didn't know I had magic so I never used it. But I guess not using it caused it to kind of buildup. I always felt like bugs were crawling all over my skin. I used to tear at my skin until I was all scratched up. My arms, my legs, even my face. Anyway, all the scratching made me a freak to my classmates when I started school. I didn't make any friends. No one wanted to be friends with the girl who scratched off her own skin. I was ignored by my classmates, except for Ezekiel…

**"Why do you do that?" one of her classmates asked. She glanced up from where she was sitting under the oak tree of the playground. The little boy had inky black hair and forest green eyes. His skin was tan having just come out of the summer months.**

** "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," she told him folding her arms across her stomach and resisting the urge to scratch.**

** "What makes you think that?" the little boy asked sitting down beside her.**

** "Because no one ever does," she replied.**

** "Well I bet I'll believe you," the boy said. **

** She hesitated but finally told him. "There's invisible bugs that crawl all over my skin," she explained. "They're really itchy."**

** "Invisible bugs?" the boy questioned and she felt the disappointment begin to sink in as she thought he didn't believe her. "That's awesome!"**

** She blinked in surprise and a relieved smile spread across her face. "You believe me?" she asked amazed.**

** "Sure I do," the little boy exclaimed. "Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist."**

** "I wish they didn't exist," she sighed petulantly. "I hate them."**

** The boy looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "We'll find a cure to get rid of them then," he stated confidently.**

** "How will we do that?" she asked him.**

** "The same way healers come up with cures for sickiness," the boy replied.**

** "But we're not healers," she pointed out.**

** "So we'll become healers," the boy declared. "We'll start by finding some medicine for you."**

** "Why?" she questioned.**

** "Well healers give you medicine to make you feel better until they find a cure," the boy explained. "So we need to find something to make you feel better until we can get rid of the bugs." He looked thoughtful for a moment before springing into action. "Oh, I know!" He pulled a thick, black rubber band out of his back pocket and slipped it around her right wrist.**

** "What do I do with this?" she asked confused staring at it.**

** "Whenever you get the urge to itch snap the rubber band instead," the boy answered. "Go on! Try it!" **

** She cautiously pulled the rubber band back before letting it go. "Ow!" she yelped clutching her wrist.**

** "Did it work?" the boy asked eagerly.**

** She thought about it for a moment. Snapping the rubber band had hurt, but the pain distracted her from the constant itch. She smiled at him. "It worked!" she exclaimed happily.**

** "Awesome! So you'll just keep using that until we find a cure. I'm Ezekiel by the way," he told her.**

** "I'm Nola," she replied...**

"It was just supposed to be something to distract me from what I thought were invisible bugs crawling all over my skin, but it turned into something I did whenever I felt anxious or stressed," Nola said finishing her explanation. "I think Ezekiel regrets ever giving it to me."

Laxus was quiet for a moment before replying, "Do you still feel like there's bugs crawling all over your skin?"

"No, not really," she replied. "But I also know what it is now, and I've learned how to ignore it." They remained quiet for a while.

"Thanks…for telling me," Laxus said quietly. Nothing else was said as they watched the end of the parade.

It took them forever to push through the crowds and get back to the guild. Laxus was practically carrying Nola back. The girl was exhausted. He realized it was probably the most active day for her in a while. He'd worried how she'd handle the mass of people, but other than a few nervous cringes she'd done okay. Still, he found himself relieved when the guildhall came into sight.

"You should go to bed," he stated when they walked into the guild.

"I plan on it," Nola yawned. "Thanks for showing me around today."

"Yeah, well you had to see the town at some point of another," he replied. "I can't believe it took you a whole week." She just smiled at him before heading off to the girls' dormitory. He watched her go, not taking his eyes off of her until she disappeared from sight, before heading towards the second floor with the intention of getting a few hours for himself.

"Laxus!" he heard the gruff voice of his grandfather calling him over.

Scowling Laxus walked over to the bar where his grandfather was waiting. "Yeah?" he asked moodily. A flyer was suddenly thrust into his face.

"I havea job request for you," Makarov stated.

"I can find my own jobs, old man," Laxus replied pushing the flyer away from him.

"Then why haven't you?" Makarov asked and Laxus raised an eyebrow at him. "I'd have thought you'd be dying to go on S-Class jobs."

"I went on one already," Laxus pointed out. "Maybe I wanted a break."

"Yes, well your breaks over. You're taking this job and that's an order," Makarov stated. Laxus grumbled snatching the job request from the old man before storming off to his room. She punched open the door and quickly threw together a bag for the journey. He bristled in anger at his grandfather. He didn't know why he was pushing a job at him, but he suspected it had something to do with Nola.

He suddenly realized that he would be leaving Nola to fend for herself after she'd opened up enough to trust him with the story behind her rubber band. Cursing he quickly grabbed a piece of paper and began to write.

Nola was just about to crawl into bed when she saw a piece of paper slip under her door. Curious she went over and picked it up before unfolding it.

**Nola,**

**I'm heading out on a job. I don't know when I'll be back, but I wanna see you there when I do. If anyone at the guild or in Magnolia bothers you, you tell them they'll have to deal with me. I don't think you'll have to worry though. The guild protects its own. You said something today that's been bothering me. You shouldn't be afraid of what people see when they look at you because there's nothing but light there. Anyway, I just didn't want to leave without telling you I was going. I'll see you when I get back.**

**-Laxus**

Nola smiled and tucked the note underneath her pillow. She had no doubt in her mind that she was staying here at Fairy Tail. They might be a rowdy bunch but at least they made her feel safe and welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Here's another chapter up. Please enjoy and please review. I was asked how old the characters are in the story. At this point in time Laxus and Nola are both seventeen. Erza is thirteen and Gray is twelve. Natsu's age is kind of a mystery but I picture him as a year young than Gray so he'd be eleven. Basically just subtract six years from their age when the actual story from the manga and anime begins. I hope that made sense.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing from Fairy Tail. All rights belong to the creator and writer of the manga and anime show.

* * *

><p>Laxus was relieved when the train pulled up to Magnolia station. He had been gone for three months on the S-Class job his grandfather had forced him on. It had taken him longer than he wanted it to, and now he made a beeline for the guildhall. He felt a nervous excitement at the thought of seeing up again. For the past three months the girl had constantly been on his mind. Not always on the forefront but hovering in the depths of his thoughts. The closer he got to the guild the more nervous he became. He'd told her he wanted to see her here when he came back, but he wasn't sure he would. She'd seemed happy enough when he left her though, and he was hoping that nothing had happened to scare her off.<p>

As he stormed into the guildhall he headed straight for the second floor, ignoring the greetings of Macao and Wakaba. He ran up the stairs, taking two at a time. "Nola!" he cried as he reached the top. He had half expected not to see the girl there, but all the same she was sitting in her usual spot. Her head had snapped up when she heard him call her name, and he noticed a hand had flown to the rubber band. It pulled away now as she realized who had called for her.

"You're back," she greeted smiling up at him. He nodded and sat down across from her trying to recover from his outburst before.

"I am," he finally replied. "And I see you're still here." He glanced over her then. She had put on a little weight while he was gone. She was still a twig, but she didn't look quite as vulnerable as he remembered. He let his gaze fall to her wrist and he frowned. When he had left the skin around it had dulled to a light pink, and was no longer swollen. Now, though, the skin again was inflamed and bright red. Her wrist wasn't as bad as it was when he'd first met her, but she'd clearly picked up the habit again while he was gone.

"I thought we talked about other ways to calm down," he said motioning to the inflamed wrist.

The girl blushed. "I t-tried! B-but s-sometimes…I-I just n-need it," she stammered and her other hand began to reach for the rubber band.

"Hey!" Laxus said sternly grabbing the girl's hand, but not covering the rubber band, and squeezed it tightly. "It's alright! Just take some deep breaths." Nola's fingers fluttered over the rubber band, but she listened to him and he watched as her hand dropped away from her abused wrist. "Good. Now, tell me what I missed while I was gone."

The girl's grey eyes opened and stared directly at him. "You didn't miss anything," she told him. "Just the usual. Gray and Natsu seem to keep amping up their fights."

Laxus nodded. "Figures," he grumbled. "What have you been up to?"

Nola shrugged. "Nothing really," she replied looking down at the table.

He frowned. "You haven't gone out on the town? Or made any friends here?" he asked. He wasn't really surprised if he was being honest. In the week he'd spent with her when she first arrived, she'd made no move to make friends with other members of the guild. In all honesty she hadn't really tried to make friends with him either. Thinking back on it, they mostly had just sat in companionable silence. Still, he considered them friends if only because he didn't know what else to name their relationship.

"I…no, I haven't," Nola answered slowly. "I mean everyone's nice and all, but I just…I'm not comfortable around so many people."

"You don't have to be afraid of anyone here," Laxus replied. "You're apart of Fairy Tail now. They'd never hurt a fellow member. By the way, where's your guild mark?" His eyes scanned over her exposed skin, but didn't see it. He glanced up at her face and noticed she'd looked away from him again. Realization dawned on him. "You didn't get the mark, did you?"

"How can I become a member of the guild when I don't even contribute anything to it?" she asked.

His brow crinkled in confusion. "I don't know what you mean," he told her.

"I can't use my magic. I can't go on missions," she replied. "I can't even have a conversation with anyone other than you!"

Laxus blinked in surprise at the girl's remarks. He'd never seen her so vocal, or so upset. He finally snapped back into the conversation when he heard the rubber band smacking against her skin. "Nola," he sighed and started to reach for her hand but stopped when she yanked it away. Realizing if he tried to stop her this time she'd freak out like she had the first time they'd met, he pulled his hand back. "Nola, no one cares about any of that. Everyone here understands that you have a hard time getting comfortable around new people. No one's going to protest you becoming a member of the guild."

"But I don't feel I can be a member unless I contribute something to the guild," Nola said. "Even if it's just…"

"Just what?" he asked her.

The girl gazed at him for a moment before standing and staring over the rails to look down on the main guildhall. "I know Erza usually works the bar, but that's only when she's not on missions," Nola started to reply. She turned back around to face him. "When she's gone someone from the town will come in and work it, but that's not a consistent arrangement. I was thinking maybe I could…"

"You want to be the guild's barmaid?" he exclaimed incredulously. "Nola, you realize that would require you to actually interact with the guild members, right?"

"I know!" Nola said quickly. "But I can't stay here and do nothing any more. I've thought about leaving."

"I asked you not to," Laxus replied before she could say anything else. He was surprised at the urgency to his words. He typically didn't care what anyone else in the guild did, but the thought of this girl leaving put him on edge. Maybe it was because he worried what would become of her if she did.

"That's why I stayed," Nola said. "I wanted to at least tell you I was leaving before I go. I don't want to leave, but I can't continue to be…completely useless to Fairy Tail and stay."

Laxus sighed. "You're sure about this?" he asked her.

Nola nodded. "Yes, but c-could you ask Master Makarov for me?" she pleaded. "I'm know I'm pathetic, but I'm afraid to ask. I'm afraid he'll say no."

"You're not pathetic," he said instantly. "And yes, I'll ask him for you. First thing tomorrow."

"Thank you, but I don't think he'll be here tomorrow," Nola replied. "At least not until late tomorrow. He left yesterday. He said there was a guild master meeting."

"Oh yeah, it is that time of the year," Laxus remarked. "Well, in that case he probably won't be back until the end of the week at the earliest."

"He'll be gone that long?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, it's the same every year," Laxus told her. "The guild master's from each guild meet up and discuss the goings on of the mages in their guilds and the trouble they could be facing in the future. It's also an excuse for them to brag about their guild members."

"I didn't know guild masters ever met up," Nola replied. "I know some guilds have a rivalry."

"Well, I'm sure there's plenty of arguing that goes on, but the guild masters are all friends. Gramps and your old Blue Pegasus master are old friends," Laxus told her.

"Master Bob and Master Makarov know each other?" Nola asked surprised.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, Master Bob used to be a member of Fairy Tail," Laxus replied. "He and Gramps used to be part of the same team."

"Team? Like a group of wizards who work together on missions, right?" Nola questioned the terminology.

"Right," Laxus answered. "You're learning."

Nola smiled at him before growing serious again. "But you will talk to him when he gets back, right?" she asked.

"I will. I promise," he told her. The rest of the day he spent telling her about the mission he'd just completed.

The rest of the week while they waited for Makarov to return he tried to get her to open up more to the guild, and the town. He'd dragged her around Magnolia again, this time forcing her into a few stores. One day he even got her to stay down in the main guildhall with him. It had taken awhile, but she warmed up enough to converse with a few guild members. Of course his fellow guild mates knew enough to be careful around her, even Mirajane had had the decency to kind to her. Elfman and Lisanna of course had warmed up to her instantly. Neither seemed to mind that Nola had very little to say. They just prattled on about whatever it was that they'd been doing that day. Macao and Wakaba of course quickly took the girl underwing. They acted like bodyguards, keeping away anyone who was too rowdy. Naturally, Natsu had been forced to back off from the girl, but the pink haired brat had seemed to like Nola instantly. Gray, also, had chatted with her for a while, but had wondered off shortly after Natsu had been sent away. Probably to go fight him.

He had hoped enveloping her in the main guildhall would help Nola open up more, but the next day she was still the bundle of nerves she usually was when she entered the guildhall. He sighed, and walked back to his table. He'd feel better going out on jobs if he knew someone was protecting her. He shook his head. He didn't know why he felt so protective of the girl. Normally he wouldn't even spare a glance to someone like her, but something about the way she looked at him made him want to keep her safe. His attention was suddenly drawn back to the main floor when the guildhall exploded with voices.

"Master Makarov!" someone exclaimed happily.

"Welcome back, Master," another person greeted. He got up and walked over to the railing and saw his grandfather walking through the crowd and greeting everyone. His eyes landed on Nola who was staring up at him with an expectant look on her face. He nodded at her and turned around and headed for Makarov's office. He would wait for the old man there.

Makarov stayed at the bar of the guild long enough to greet his guild members. He was happy to see them after a long week apart, but tired from his journey. He wanted to get to his office and relax for a bit. Maybe get some paperwork done. He was sure the pile would be pretty large. Finally, the guild settled down and he was able to slip away. He climbed the steps and passed Nola, giving her a cheerful hello, and headed to his office. Upon opening the door he saw Laxus sitting at the chair in front of his desk.

"Something wrong Laxus?" he asked. He was always aware of having two conversations at the same time when he spoke to Laxus. The conversation between master and guild member, and the conversation between grandfather and grandson.

"No, but I did want to talk to you about something," Laxus replied. Makarov stared more intently at his grandson. It was rare for Laxus to initiate any conversation with him anymore. Ever since he'd been forced to expel Laxus' father from the guild his grandson had pulled away from him. He was curious what he wanted to talk about now.

"What would you like to talk about, Laxus?" he asked sitting down behind his desk.

"I'd like to talk about Nola," Laxus replied.

Makarov hesitated and bit his lip. He wondered if Laxus had heard something about her on his latest mission. "What about Nola?" he questioned cautiously.

"She wants…"

Nola had watched as Makarov walked into his office. She knew Laxus was already in there, waiting for him. He would ask the master about her becoming the barmaid. But she had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't questioning her decision. She needed something to do for the guild. She needed a way she could be useful, and not just some freeloader they took in out of pity. And I guess that was the problem now. She couldn't even ask the master herself for the position, and in a way that was more pathetic than just sitting around at the guild all day doing nothing.

She found herself rising to her feet and walking briskly towards Makarov's office. She didn't give herself time to think as she pushed opened the door, and stepped in. "I want to be the barmaid of Fairy Tail," she said, interrupting Laxus who turned and stared at her in shock. Makarov also looked stunned at her declaration. As silence filled the room she felt her nerves hit her. She looked down at the ground. "That is if you don't mind."

"I have no objection to it." She looked back up and saw Makarov smiling kindly at her. "But are you sure? It is a job that will require interaction with others. There's more to it than I think you realize," he told her.

She just nodded her head. "I can't be part of Fairy Tail and not contribute to the guild," she insisted. "I can't go on missions, but I can do this."

"Alright then," Makarov replied. "It's settled. I'll tell Erza to start training you tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir," Nola said and then quickly darted out of his office.

Laxus had still not managed to compose himself as he watched Nola retreat out of his grandfather's office. It was not until Makarov dropped a heavy book down on his desk that he snapped out of it and glanced down at the old man. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" his grandfather asked, but he just shook his head and quickly left the office. He walked back out to the S-Class lounge and glanced around for Nola. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the job request board. She was also snapping furiously at her rubber band, but for once he didn't even care.

"Well, I have to admit I didn't see that coming," he exclaimed sitting down next to her.

She smiled up at him, and quit picking at the rubber band. "I had to be the one to ask him," she said. "I don't know why, but it had to be me."

He laughed. "Nola, you didn't ask him, you told him," he replied.

Nola paled a little. "Oh no! Do you think I've insulted him? I should go apologize," she said and started to get up.

He pulled her back down. "He's not insulted. If anything, he's impressed and so am I," Laxus told her.

"You are?" she asked.

"Never in a million years would I have expected you to storm into Makarov's office and demand you be allowed to work for the guild," Laxus laughed and then smiled as the girl blushed. He stood up and offered her a hand up. "And now you have no excuse not to get the guild mark."

"Will you tell Erza I'm ready to receive it?" she asked.

"You can tell her yourself," Laxus replied not really expecting her to, and then blinked in surprise when Nola made for the stares. He watched in shock from the second floor as she walked over to the bar where Erza was resting.

"Erza?" Nola asked, and her voice rang clear through the guild. Everyone stopped and stared at the girl's sudden brashness.

"Yes? What is it Nola?" Erza asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"I want to be a member of Fairy Tail," Nola replied. "Officially."

Erza smiled at her. "Of course," the Requip mage said. She began to dig behind the bar and then pulled out what looked like an ordinary stamp, but Nola was sure there was a magical element to it. "Where would you like your guild mark?"

"Here," Nola answered and held back her hair and pointed to the spot on the back of her neck right behind her left ear. Erza pressed the stamp to the spot, and she felt warm, tingling sensation on her skin.

Erza handed her a small mirror and led her to a bathroom, positioning her in front of a larger mirror. "Now you can see your mark for yourself," she said holding the small mirror behind her ear and adjusting it so Nola could see the grayish blue mark. She smiled. Maybe she really could belong in Fairy Tail.


End file.
